CA expects bn-dollar turnover in next 4 yrs

Cricket Australia is expecting a turnover of one billion dollars in the next four years but the financial windfall does not guarantee any major pay-hike for the players.

Cricket Australia's newly-appointed chairman Jack Clarke has made it clear that CA will pay only as much as it can afford because the money will also have to be made available to state sides.

"We have 568,000 players in Australia, and we plan to boost that to 750,000 by 2013. CA is responsible for paying the elite, but equally it has so many other areas to consider when slicing the pie," Clarke was quoted as saying by 'Herald Sun'.

"People always think they are worth more than they are getting. They are entitled to seek what they are asking. But you can only pay players what you can afford," he added.

Clarke said CA has to support domestic competitions the cost of which will keep escalating every year.

"It is not just about them. We have a secondary competition, the Sheffield Shield, that incurs massive losses, but that is vital to the structure of our national game.

"Then there is maintenance and ground rental, local cricket competitions that survive mainly because of volunteers. If everyone put out their hands, there would be nothing left," he pointed out.

Clarke said CA was also aiming to promote the game in countries where it is not as popular which would also require some funding.

"The development and involvement of our indigenous people in the game is a priority in Melbourne. And we must seek to push into new international areas, especially China and the US. Twenty20 is the avenue to do that," he said.